Chain sharpeners....

[seldomseen]

In an effort to do more myself as a homeowner :stupid:, wood burner, I want to sharpen my own chains. A friend has a model he recommends. Techo-Mec, he says they make one for Oregon too. Some you can't change the angle of the grind wheel. Some you can adjust the angle AND the pitch of the chain etc.
Which one do you pro guys use or prefer?

Thanks.

 

[blackdiesel]

a file. its cheaper and faster and easier and you end up with a sharper chain. just practice and youll end up with a sharper-than-new chain

 

[seldomseen]

Wisdom

a file. its cheaper and faster and easier and you end up with a sharper chain. just practice and youll end up with a sharper-than-new chain

THANKS FOR THAT.

 

[Freyboy23]

a file. its cheaper and faster and easier and you end up with a sharper chain. just practice and youll end up with a sharper-than-new chain

I am with you cant get it sharper then doing it by hand. just take you time and get the angles Right.

 

[Ductape]

I'm very happy with my Northern Tool grinder. It was about a hundred bux, and has long, long ago paid for itself. There are many discussions on them here, just use the search function for days of reading material.

 

[deer slayer]

:agree2: the northern is what I use. Never could hand sharpen, dont have the patients for one, and when I did it cut to the right or left...less human error w/sharpener...set it up and its a matter of moving chain thru it, done in no time. I cut a 1x board bolted to it and 2 c-clamps I keep w/it for portabilty reasons.

 

[carhartt]

Granberg bar mounted file. 30 bucks some 7/32 files and sharpen. I just dremel the rakers every now and then. Paid for itself many times over.

 

[Coldfront]

a file. its cheaper and faster and easier and you end up with a sharper chain. just practice and youll end up with a sharper-than-new chain

Plus your chain will last a lot longer, it's too easy to grind away metal with a machine.

 

[jerryw66]

I just got done hand filing a couple chains in the basement. I prefer filing, I have used a dremel but I didn't feel it was any faster and the file seems to get the sharpest tooth. I've tried to have a couple of local shops sharpen chains with a grinder, I know they have very good machines. I was never happy with there results, it didn't matter if they had done it for free, it was a poor job of sharpening, so I'll just stick to filing when I have time, like today when it's -10 and wind blowing 30 mph.

 

[Rickochet]

I also bought a Northern Tool grinder for $100. Great investment. Only takes a little fine tuning and you are good to go! As suggested in some earlier posts, search a little and you will find lots of info on this grinder.

 

[Upidstay]

I prefer to do them with a file too. Dealer threw in a set with the saw. I had the dealer sharpen it once for me with his fancy machine. My file job was just as sharp, saved the $10 too.

 

[mtngun]

Plus your chain will last a lot longer, it's too easy to grind away metal with a machine.

My chains last longer and cut better since I switched to a grinder.

I started out with the $30 plastic chinese grinder (not recommended, but nonetheless it did a better job than I could do with a file) and recently upgraded to a Jolly Star (made by Tecomec).

There is a learning curve to using a grinder. At first you do tend to grind too much metal, but after a while you learn to just barely graze the cutter, just enough to clean up the edge.

Lots of grinder threads on the chainsaw forum. You will hear good and bad about every model. All of them do the job, none of them are perfect.

 

[Marc]

1) buy PFERD Chain Sharp file guide
2) sharpen chain
3) ????
4) profit!

In all seriousness, I've used the Husqvarna branded version of the above for 2 years now and I'd never sharpen with anything else. You can sharpen the chain on the saw, which is huge. You can sharpen in the field. It's quick, does the cutters and the rakers in one step. And gets things very, very sharp. Pretty fool proof (gotta be a real talented fool to screw it up).

 

[olyman]

QUOTE=deer slayer;1942499]:agree2: the northern is what I use. Never could hand sharpen, dont have the patients for one, and when I did it cut to the right or left...less human error w/sharpener...set it up and its a matter of moving chain thru it, done in no time. I cut a 1x board bolted to it and 2 c-clamps I keep w/it for portabilty reasons.[/QUOTE]:agree2:the northern tool one--with a few EASY mods--is as good as the oregon and techo mec--we aint talking PRECISION here--and i used to hand file--only in emergencys now!!! grinder wayyy faster--sharper edge,and im careful to just take the edge down a mite--not grind half the tooth off!!!! and i dont burn em either--used to take 20 minutes fro a 24 chain--now 5 minutes--no comparison

 

[Coldfront]

In reply to Marc : PFERD Chain Sharp file guide

+1 Thats the one I use with the Husqvarna name. Works like a charm, a beginner can do it. But it is best to have someone who knows how to use it show you the first time, you have to flip the flat file over when you switch from left side to right side. Does cutters and gauges rakers at the same time.

 

[Storm56]

Count me in with the hand file guys. I generally use an old guide that clamps on the bar to keep the angles uniform. Just touch the rakers about every third filing. Been workin for years.

 

[danrclem]

Plus your chain will last a lot longer, it's too easy to grind away metal with a machine.

Not necessarily. I'm pretty much a rookie with my NT grinder but I'm catching on very quick. If you turn the adjustment a little bit at a time you can ease the cutter into your stone and just skim it enough to take off the dull part.

I need to put some good lighting above my grinder though. Those dang fluorescent lights on the ceiling of my garage just don't cut it.

 

[logbutcher]

1) buy PFERD Chain Sharp file guide
2) sharpen chain
3) ????
4) profit!

In all seriousness, I've used the Husqvarna branded version of the above for 2 years now and I'd never sharpen with anything else. You can sharpen the chain on the saw, which is huge. You can sharpen in the field. It's quick, does the cutters and the rakers in one step. And gets things very, very sharp. Pretty fool proof (gotta be a real talented fool to screw it up).

Nice shots.....you nailed it. PFERD :agree2::agree2:
Besides, real lumberjacks sharpen by hand--in shop, in the field.

 

[gilraine]

1) buy PFERD Chain Sharp file guide
2) sharpen chain
3) ????
4) profit!

In all seriousness, I've used the Husqvarna branded version of the above for 2 years now and I'd never sharpen with anything else. You can sharpen the chain on the saw, which is huge. You can sharpen in the field. It's quick, does the cutters and the rakers in one step. And gets things very, very sharp. Pretty fool proof (gotta be a real talented fool to screw it up).

does that work on all chain??? we use RSC, LGX and carlton and I would love if if would do them all..

 

[logbutcher]

does that work on all chain??? we use RSC, LGX and carlton and I would love if if would do them all..

Depends....get the PFERD tool for specific chains. Be sure to buy the replacement flat file and round file that fit your chain. One size does NOT fit all. I have 2 different size PFERDS.